Bigby signs tender

Atari Bigby signs his tender

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on July 27, 2010 6:34 PM ET

Packers safety Atari Bigby will arrive to training camp on time to try to defend his starting strong safety job. A league source has confirmed to PFT that Bigby signed his restricted free agent tender on Tuesday. Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the news. Bigby, a rangy but highly inconsistent player, is scheduled to earn $1.759 million. Rookie Morgan Burnett has impressed in minicamps and could challenge Bigby for playing time this year. Bigby makes big plays and is an asset in the running game, but too often was the cause of breakdowns in the secondary.

What struck me about this brief write-up was Rosenthal’s use of the word “rangy” to describe Bigby. That’s not accurate. Bigby can be inconsistent as Rosenthal points out, good against the run and can sometimes make big plays, yes – but “rangy” is simply not a word I’d use to describe Bigby.

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Here’s a question for you gents: Given that the OLB spot is crucial to the 3-4, and even if Jones is effective (which I expect him to be) we are still very thin at that spot. I think its the thinnest spot on the defense. There has been talk about trading a OL for an OLB. I think we are deepest at WR. Would any of you advocate trading one of our top 4 WRs for an OLB?

AZ = good question. Would you do this? Any particular OLB out there you’d have in mind? Any particular WRs you’d offer?

Jones may develop this year and could end up being a very good player. He has the physical tools (and the mind, smart dude), though he definitely needs to learn more pass rushing moves. But if Matthews or Jones get hurt, we would be rather thin there. Right now, I think there may be potential at OLB that is not being tapped. I think Bishop and Chillar could both play OLB effectively, but it doesn’t look like they’ll get much of a chance, they appear to be firm back-ups mostly in the middle. I also think this year could be a break-out year for Cyril Obiozor. I’ve heard Kevin Greene talk about him – and I think there is a feeling that this guy has a bright future with the team. He’s both reckless and relentless – two nice qualities in a LB.

Still, I would like another option at OLB, particularly a veteran OLB. We have two 2nd year OLBs who could benefit from some mentoring by an OLB who is actually out there playing (vs teaching from coaches Winston Moss/Kevin Greene). This veteran would also provide needed depth.

For this year though, I’d be reluctant to give up any of the top 4 WRs. Our depth there is important not only for injuries, but my guess is that eventually, we’re going to start seeing some 4WR sets again as McCarthy gets more comfortable with the O-line’s protection. I might be more inclined to offer a draft pick to someone for a veteran LB with 2-3 good years left.

AZ – I honestly don’t see much changes in terms of making a move to get a player for OLB or Corner or something. It’s still possible, but I really believe this is the team we have moving forward this year and well, I guess we’ll see how it plays out.

It’s tough to have depth everywhere. That’s what makes championship teams so good. If you can’t get depth everywhere (from an overall view of depth, were sitting pretty decent) we have to hope to have some luck on our side. Luck is also part of a championship team, to avoid a devastating loss to your team.

I have also had the same feelings about Cyril as well Andy! And it makes me excited to know Kevin is looking nice and close at him and is well aware of him. If we have a solid 3 OLB, plus who knows if we do see some action with Bishop or Chillar, I think we’d be in a good position.

Camp opens soon though, and now we’ll start to get a better idea of whats to come this year!

I’ve no idea the talent level at OLB that might come on the market post training camp. I’m not very knowledgable.

I’m rooting for Jones, he’s exactly the type of player I like to see succeed. Regarding Cyril, hope he has made strides, as we need the depth, right? In today’s chat however, Demrovsky said “The Pack isn’t as high on him as they were last year at this time”.

Nice find, it’s unfortunate to hear if it’s true. It’s always nice to see a young player that people pass over turn out to be something special. But I guess it’s not over yet, and hopefully he will someday be a big part of our team.

The question is – is there enough talent out there to pick up a veteran after a few weeks of the season and still keep your WR’s – I’m not sure.

I agree with AZ that we are vulnerable there in terms of depth – and we need a pass rush pretty badly….

If it were me, I’d do it – unfortunately WR’s are similar to RB’s in that they are a dime a dozen (especially for 3-4 WR guys), so we could probably develop or sign another JJ or Nelson. BUT – I can’t fault someone for going the opposite on that. Tough choice.

In other news – I like Bigby signing this tender. Whether he gets his job back, stays healthy, or whatever – he will put needed pressure on the rookie to perform. Competition is always, always, always good in camp.

Here’s to hoping the punters can push each other to get a ball inside the 20 every once in a while or kick it further than 45 yards…

Day one- Bigby is on the PUP. A full off-season and his damn ankle is still a problem. Why, one might ask, does a guy go for 6+ months with an injury and doesn’t seek medical advice? A second question might be why does a team make an RFA tender without knowing the physical condition of the player?

That, coupled with the fact that Bigby can’t go half a season without an injury. Clearly thats still the case.

I think Burnett will do just fine, but the experience factor is something that were all gonna have to deal with. Safety is not a position you want to have little experience, so let’s just hope his play making and ball hawking abilities make up for any mistakes he makes.